


Room Full of Memories

by julyjunejanuary



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anyways, Gen, Gryffindor Pride, Hufflepuff Pride, Moving Portraits (Harry Potter), POV Outsider, Ravenclaw Pride, Slytherin Pride, how is that not a tag?, i guess??, its finally done!, it’s literally the most popular house, sort of second person though, yay!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26692477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julyjunejanuary/pseuds/julyjunejanuary
Summary: A sort of study on the portraits at Hogwarts, and the memories that come with them.
Kudos: 13





	1. Hufflepuff

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_   
_Where they are just and loyal,_   
_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_   
_And unafraid of toil;_

Next to the kitchens, in the very bottom of Hogwarts, sits a warm circular room filled to the brim with students laughing and talking. It has been referred to by many names over the centuries it has been in existence, but the most prevalent is the Hufflepuff Common Room, so that is what we will call it.

There are three portraits in the common room that stand out from the rest. The first was painted long ago by a painter long forgotten. She sits in a golden frame, the paint chipping and faded. But legend says her memory is the best of all of the portraits in the whole castle, and she will tell you stories for hours on end. The upper-years will assure you these aren't just legends.

The second portrait stars a boy who died too young, at the hands of a coward who was supposed to be brave (and Cedric was only a boy, in the end.) He was called 'telltale' and 'weak' and 'a spare'. He will tell you no one is a spare, and Hufflepuffs can also be smart and brave and cunning, and honesty is never a weakness. He is right.

The third portrait has bubblegum pink hair and a personality to match it. Her portrait is sometimes empty, when she's off to the Gryffindor tower to a kind man with too many scars painted across his face (or a blue haired boy sits in front of her, and it is unclear whether the sparkle in their eyes are from unshed tears or laughter). But most of the time, she's sitting in her frame, just waiting for the right student to prank or converse with. If you ask, she'll give you advice or a joke (often, you don't even have to ask.)

These people, now reduced to characters told in scary tales of war or tearful stories of friends lost, come alive again through these children (until they can only really remember the children in this round room, and their real lives are just a faint memory, tugging at the periphery of their brain).

So let us not only remember Helga Hufflepuff as the fair and kind founder, but also as a teacher and a storyteller, her piercing blue eyes seeing through every lie.

Let us not only remember Cedric Diggory as the pretty boy who was caught in a war that was never about him, but as a friend, who kept strong through the words thrown at him and his housemates.

Let us not only remember Nymphadora Tonks as the clumsy metamorphmagus, but as a dedicated auror and hero, who loved her family as fiercely as Molly Weasley and Lily Potter.

It is a room full of memories, the Hufflepuff Common Room. Keep them safe.


	2. Slytherin

_Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends._

At first glance, the Slytherin Common Room seems harsh and unfeeling. Dull fish glare at you through tall windows, and students in green sit in exclusive clusters. But underneath all the cold looks and disdainful sniffs, there is the thrum of a heartbeat, a form of love through a carefully placed hand on a shoulder and a retaliatory tripping jinx to the young Gryffindor who threw a hex your way. Slytherins protect each other, you see, from kids who think you are all Death Eaters and blood purists. Slytherins have been loyal to those who need it since before Hogwarts even existed, and Slytherin was only a family.

In this great room, sitting in gilded frames on stone dungeon walls, there is history. The portraits look upon you with pride twinkling in their painted eyes. They see in you what the others choose to look past because of the green on your tie. What you must not forget is that Merlin was in Slytherin, and that he smiles kindly now and speaks in a garbled mix of every version English to ever exist and maybe a bit of Latin, too. His portrait sits right by the door, watching over you as you come in and out the common room.

Then there is Salazar himself, who has all but forgotten any form of human language, and speaks only in Parseltongue. Every now and then you can get a snippet of wisdom out of him, his sharp grey eyes flashing with renewed youth. He'll tell you how to make wands and breed basilisks, and other things that surely shouldn't be allowed in a school. And maybe some people think that Slytherin shouldn't get a portrait - what of his discrimination? But what you must understand is that this was the time of witch hunts, and this was the time the whole school would be burnt to the ground if there was so much a whisper of magic. Surely once they were safe, he would have allowed the curious students of muggle descent to wander the grounds of Hogwarts? Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

There are other portraits too, who will help you with your potions essay, or talk to you through sleepless nights spent learning Quidditch plays until you can't think anymore. They too were once students here. A person is only really gone if no one remembers them, and these portraits are not yet destroyed, are they? So walk up to Horace Slughorn, the kind, although perhaps a bit misguided, Potions master, and indulge in his idle curiosities. Even if you hold the surname of Carrow, Rookwood, Avery, Goyle, Lestrange, or Travers, their actions do not define you, and so you should not let them.

"Perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make your real friends." And even if these friends are made of paint on canvas, they are your real friends. (Although do try to make other friends, because the portraits can't leave the common room)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once I sat down and got writing, this chapter actually came pretty easily to me, because the way that JK (and I definitely don't agree with any of the things she has recently been saying. Everyone is welcome here!) wrote Slytherins always has bothered me.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, every kudos warms my heart.


	3. Ravenclaw

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
if you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
_

Up a long, winding staircase, there is a quiet room. (unlike the loud and brash of the Gryffindors, the friendly chatter of the Hufflepuffs). But—and take note of this—it is never silent. In fact, there is often soft, peaceful music playing in the background, from finicky muggle devices that they somehow got to work, even in the magical atmosphere of Hogwarts, which usually doesn't allow such things to function.

To get in, one must have their wits abut them, but once in, well. (sometimes, one only needs to ask another student or the friendly portraits nearby; there is always a friendly face somewhere) Once in, it is not only a place to get homework done, an hour before the deadline, wondering whether you really are sure it was Urg the Unclean and not Urg the Unkind. It is also a place to stand on the tables and shout your eccentric ideas at the top of your lungs. It would be a Ravenclaw that figures out _that_.

And, most of the time, it is not only the students helping. As with the other common rooms, there are guardians on the walls, sketched with all the love and care of the memory of a lost parent, mentor, or friend.

Rowena Ravenclaw, painted in solemn blues and grays, still manages to shine like a beaker from her viewpoint at the edge of the room. She remembers every student with surprising clarity for a portrait covered in a veil of dust and seemingly old as time itself. Although she does not speak, she will occasionally laugh, a beautiful tinkling sound that encourages the students to continue with their plots and plans.

Sitting in the corner, with an ever-present spacey expression, is Pandora Lovegood. She tries to give advice, but cannot always be trusted. It was her own misguided attempts at spell-creating that brought about her untimely passing. All the same, she is thoughtful and kind, and can get rather lonely at times. (Read her a book on Blibbering Humdingers or Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, if you can find one. Maybe she'll tell you a few facts of her own)

One family that has been in Ravenclaw for generations, is the Ollivanders, who pass the trade of wandmaking down the generations like a fancy piece of jewelry or a recipe that never tastes exactly right when only you make it. Up on the ceiling, hidden within murals of constellations and myths, sit over one hundred faces of the Ollivander family, all with a smile and a wand in hand.

These Ravenclaws are not only smart, but also strong and creative.

The lesson here: never underestimate a Ravenclaw, despite how odd they might seem.


	4. Gryffindor

_ You might belong in Gryffindor, _

_ Where dwell the brave at heart, _

_ Their daring, nerve, and chivalry _

_ Set Gryffindors apart; _

Gryffindor is a big, bright room, colored in bold reds and cozy yellows. It is not only remarkable because it was the house of The Boy Who Lived himself, but also because of the fact that every available surface is scratched with students' initials, crushes, memories, or anything else that had been deemed interesting enough to be engraved into the cherry wood that filled the room. They are to be read and wondered about for generations.

The portraits that line the wall are, if anything, loud, even if that seems like the greatest Gryffindor stereotype of all. Though there are a lot, only some stick out.

Who else but Godric Gryffindor could sit atop his throne of rubies, armed with a mighty sword, over the fireplace? He only speaks in rhyme and poetry, tales of ancient heroes and battles galore.

Right next to each other, one, two, three, stag, dog, wolf, packed like sardines, are the self-proclaimed Marauders.

James Potter sits in the first frame, all messy hair and jokes and deep hazel eyes asking you if “you’re really sure you’re okay, I can send for someone if you need any help,” 

Sirius Black is next, and, despite his last name, is as kind as the night is dark and the day is light. Although he does enjoy the occasional practical joke, they are never meant to hurt (except for one, but that was a long, long time ago, and can he even do anything like that again, trapped in thick strokes of paint and just  the right amount of magic?)

Scarred and weary is Remus Lupin, who always seems to have a sigh or sarcastic comment at hand where the others are concerned. Eventually, he will get to talk to his blue-haired son, smuggled in by a giggling first year with thick auburn locks and sweet hazel eyes that only managed to skip one generation.

Lily Evans Potter, with her fiery red hair framing her face and green eyes that are pictured in every magazine and newspaper in the wizarding world, is the fourth, although that definitely wasn’t the case when they were in school.

And who could forget Peter, small, unassuming Peter, who had friends who would’ve ran in front of a killing curse for him, yet he would not have done the same. (He might have, if things had been different, if, if, if, but we cannot dwell on ifs, we do not have the time.) He does not have a portrait, but we remember him anyways.

These stereotypes of rash and unintelligent are not true for all Gryffindors. Never forget those who have to try to be brave and strong. You are not sorted for your qualities, but your values. And those who do not quite fit may be the most Gryffindor of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! It’s finally finished, just in time for the New Year! This is literally the longest thing I’ve ever worked on and actually finished, so that’s super amazing. I feel like I definitely have grown as a writer, even since September, and so I hope you like this last chapter of the story. I might go back and edit some of the older ones, but no promises!
> 
> I also just wanted to reiterate that I do not support or believe in any of the things JK Rowling has recently said. With that said, I still obviously like a lot the characters and concepts that she introduced with Harry Potter but try to separate her from it as much as possible, and I hope that everyone still enjoy reading my works.
> 
> Happy holidays, everyone! Stay safe!


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